Argocat justified some good morning price support when opening his jumping account in the www.thurlesraces.ie Maiden Hurdle, and could now be heading for the Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Successful on the Flat when previously trained across the water by Paul Cole, the Montjeu gelding was avaliable at 5/1 this morning before being sent off a 7/2 chance.

The well-backed 2/1 favourite Sarabad weakened tamely coming out of the back straight eventually finishing tenth, and it was at this point that Brian Hayes sent the winner to the head of affairs. Lamb Or Cod (25/1) proved the only challenger in the straight as the pair pulled well clear of the remainder, and Argocat was driven out to beat that rival by four and a half lengths. There was a 38 length gap back to Troll D'Oudairies in third.

Winning trainer Tom Taaffe said, “Everything he does over hurdles is a bonus as he's a smashing horse who loves jumping. He might turn out to be a good horse in time, and it was a fair race that he finished third in the last day.

“He had the four-year-old's weight allowance and Brian is also good value for his 7lb claim. He'll get an entry in the Fred Winter, and is a staying four-year-old who is going the right way. Bringing him to Thurles was useful to see if he could handle the undulations.”